The Dos and Don’ts of Influencer Relationship

What separates transactional influencer campaigns from the ones that actually move metrics?

It’s not bigger budgets or trendier creators—it’s treating partnerships as ongoing collaborations, not one-off transactions. DTC founders know this intuitively, but in the scramble to hit ROAS targets, it’s easy to default to short-term thinking: chase virality, demand posts, rinse and repeat.

That damages trust. And then it becomes harder to turn people who support you once (influencrers) into those who keep supporting you forever (brand ambassadors).

In this blog, we’re breaking down the non-negotiable dos and don’ts behind influencer relationships that last. Implement them, and you’ll stop chasing one-off posts—and start building a community that grows your brand for you.

DO's of working with influencers

Here are 5 things that we recommend brands do for long-term relationships with their influencers:

1— Build relationships with influencers outside of promotional work

Influencers work with brands they like and respect. By investing in the relationship beyond transactions, you become a partner they want to support—not just another contract. This leads to more authentic UGC from influencers, better creativity, and loyalty when you launch a campaign.

Here are some ideas to build relationships with influencers that don't require any budgets, only the right intentions:

• Engage with their content:Like their posts, leave thoughtful comments, or share their work (without asking for anything in return). This shows you care about their craft, not just what they can do for you.
• Check-in: Send a quick check-in message occasionally. Ask how they’re doing, share an article they might like, or congratulate them on a personal win. Keep it casual and human—no sales pitches.
• Meet face-to-face when possible: Invite them for coffee, attend their events, or hop on a video call to chat about non-work topics. Building a personal connection creates trust and makes future collaborations smoother.
• Offer value without strings attached: For example, introduce them to someone in your network, give early access to a product, or share feedback on a project they’re excited about. Small gestures go a long way.

2— Create incentive programs that reward long-term relationships

Building meaningful influencer relationships is a two-way street. While authentic connections happen naturally, you can't simply wait for influencers to fall in love with your brand. You need to intentionally design opportunities that invite them to become more invested partners.

One way to engineer this environment is through incentive programs. When influencers see clear paths to grow with your brand (like moving from affiliate-only collaborations to guaranteed rates, or from product-only to paid collaborations) they're naturally motivated to post more about your brand.

This means they'll spend more time understanding your products, engage more genuinely with your team, and become more involved in your brand's journey.

For example, Goli nutrition gives influencers who consistently post and achieve certain sales targets higher affiliate commission rates.

Their tiered reward structure shows influencers a clear growth path: start with basic product collaborations, then unlock better commission rates and early access to product launches as performance improves.

3— Tag and credit influencers when sharing their content

Brands should always mention the influencer's handle when reposting the influencer's content — whether it's sharing their post or story, or any blog. This basic practice gets overlooked often, but it matters more than you might think.

When you tag influencers while sharing their content, you're helping them grow their audience and showing that your brand values its creators. This simple act builds loyalty and strengthens your relationship with creators.

They see your brand as a supportive partner who actively helps them grow, not just a company looking for content.

Brands like Loop Earplugs and Magic Spoon consistently tag creators in both feed posts and stories, when re-sharing their content.

4— Set clear contracts that outline rights and responsibilities

Most relationship breakdowns in influencer marketing don't come from bad intent. They come from misaligned expectations that could have been cleared up in the beginning.

Contracts are a way to solve this problem.

While contracts might seem cold and transactional, they're ground rules for a healthy relationship — they create clarity and prevent the awkwardness of unmet expectations.

A clear contract protects both sides and sets the foundation for trust.

• Creators know exactly how their content will be used and what they'll receive in return.
• Brands know what deliverables to expect and when.

This mutual understanding prevents those uncomfortable situations where someone feels their trust was broken or they didn't get what they expected.

Pay special attention to content usage rights in your contracts. Be upfront about how and where you'll use their content, for how long, and whether you need exclusive rights. This transparency prevents future tension around content ownership and helps influencers understand their content's true value.

Use SARAL’s Contract Templates with pre-built clauses for usage rights, payment terms, and exclusivity. You can select a template, customize deadlines/content rights, and send for e-signature—all in one place.

5— Create spaces where your influencers can connect with each other

Humans are wired to crave belonging — it’s basic psychology.

This need stems from our evolutionary past, where survival depended on group cooperation. Today, that instinct drives people to seek tribes where they feel understood and valued — and influencers are no exception.

When your brand becomes that tribe, you fulfill a primal need, making creators more likely to invest emotionally (not just professionally) in your shared success.

Kim Biddle, co-founder of Clutch Affiliate shared her insight about building community with us in a long chat (you can watch the full video here) but here's the key takeaway —

Bringing influencers together in any shared space can create value for your brand community. Whether it's through messaging platforms like Slack and Discord, or social media spaces like private Instagram accounts and Facebook groups - the key is to give them a dedicated space to connect and engage with each other and your brand.

Brands should be active participants in these communities, sharing personal details and building genuine relationships rather than keeping interactions purely transactional.

Bringing influencers together in any shared space can create value for your brand community. Whether it's through messaging platforms like Slack and Discord, or social media spaces like private Instagram accounts and Facebook groups - the key is to give them a dedicated space to connect and engage with each other and your brand.

Connections formed in influencer communities also make your brand partnership feel more stable and long-term. Instead of wondering if each campaign might be their last, influencers feel secure in their relationship with your brand because they're part of an established community.

This security often leads them to invest more time and creativity in their content.

As Athira, the brand partnerships and influencer manager at Mahina, explains:

Having influencers as brand friends is very important, repeated endorsement from a creator has shown better performance for us. One thing that has helped us foster the influencer community is having them relate and believe in the brand cause and vision. Also nurturing the relationship from the start will help maintain the influencer community.

Here are some ideas to build influencer communities:

1— Start a dedicated group

Create a private Facebook group or Slack channel where your influencers can chat, swap ideas, and celebrate wins.

For example, Pura Vida Bracelets built an invite-only Facebook group for its 126,000+ ambassadors, making them feel like part of a tight-knit community.

2— Host trips or events

Bring influencers together in person. Revolve famously hosts luxury trips (like #RevolveAroundTheWorld). While creating content, they bond over shared experiences, leading to genuine friendships and a sense of loyalty to Revolve.

Similarly, Abercrombie & Fitch invited influencers to an LA launch event for its Wedding Shop collection, sparking organic buzz and UGC that lasted weeks.

3— Create a shared identity

If your brand becomes a “tribe” (e.g., Gymshark Athletes), influencers start seeing themselves as “[brand name] creators” rather than just individuals doing a paid collab. This identity makes them subconsciously align their efforts with the group’s values i.e. your brand’s goals.

3— Organize virtual meetups

Not every brand can afford lavish trips, but you can still foster connection. Host live Q&A sessions, workshops, or casual Zoom hangouts where influencers share their creative processes. This keeps the community active and shows you value their input beyond transactions.

DON'Ts of working with influencers

Great influencer relationships thrive on mutual respect. Avoid these pitfalls, and you’ll build trust that turns creators into long-term advocates—not just one-time vendors.

1— Don’t make influencers read scripted content

Forcing influencers to stick to rigid scripts damages trust in two ways.

• It tells them you don’t respect their expertise. Influencers build audiences by being relatable and authentic—when you strip away their unique voice, you undermine the very reason you partnered with them.
• Their followers know when content feels forced. Imagine your favorite creator suddenly sounding like a corporate ad—you’d question their honesty. This erodes their credibility, and by extension, your brand’s reputation.

Influencers want to feel valued for their creativity, not treated like hired actors. Over time, they’ll prioritize partnerships where they’re trusted to do what they do best: connect with their audience.

Here's what to do instead:

Share your campaign goals (e.g., “highlight the product’s sustainability”) and brand guidelines (e.g., avoid certain language), but let them decide how to communicate it.

For example, a skincare influencer might share a vulnerable story about their journey with acne while featuring your product. This builds mutual respect—you’re collaborating, not dictating.

Athira Aravind, brand partnerships and influencer manager at Mahina, emphasizes this delicate balance

"I've often faced situations when giving the creator too much creative freedom has led to sub-par quality content and sometimes content that are not in alignment with the brand. And getting the content redone by the creator is nearly impossible. So to ensure this doesn't happen, we have created a brief detailing the non-negotiables of the brand. The creator shall have the freedom to operate within the guidelines set.”

2— Don’t ghost influencers when you want to end a partnership

Abruptly ending relationships with influencers after deciding not to renew a collaboration is a quick way to burn bridges—and your brand’s reputation.

Ghosting your influencers sends a message that you only value them for their output, not as a partner. This breeds resentment, and in a tight-knit influencer community, word travels fast.

Other creators may hesitate to work with you if they hear you “disappear” on collaborators, fearing the same treatment.

Worse, if they later grow their audience or refine their craft, they’ll remember how you handled the breakup—and likely decline future opportunities.

What to do instead:

Be transparent and respectful. For example:

• Give feedback: If their work didn’t align with your goals, say so kindly. “We’re shifting our strategy toward X, so we won’t renew our contract. We appreciate the effort you put into Y campaign.”
• Leave the door open: Even if you’re parting ways now, circumstances change. Add, “We’d love to revisit collaboration opportunities in the future!”
• Stay connected: Continue engaging with their posts occasionally. A simple “Congrats on the launch!” comment shows you still value them as a creator.

3— Don’t treat influencers like they're just a sales channel

Influencers can sense when they’re being used as a sales tool. It feels transactional and impersonal, which kills their enthusiasm for the partnership.

When you fixate on sales, they’ll disengage creatively—posting bland, low-effort content to fulfill a contract. Worse, they might resent the partnership, leading to passive-aggressive compliance (“Here’s the post you asked for. Done.”).

Their audience will notice, too—forced sales pitches feel inauthentic, eroding trust in both the influencer and your brand.

What to do instead:

Treat them like strategic partners. For example:

• Involve them in creative decisions: Ask for their input on campaign themes, product launches, or content formats. They know their audience best—their ideas can make your product better, or campaigns more relatable. For example, when Glossier collaborates with influencers, they often ask them to test prototypes and share honest opinions.
• Recognize their expertise: If they suggest a different approach to showcasing your product, listen. A fitness influencer might say, “My followers respond better to 30-second workout clips than polished ads,” and they’re probably right.
• Collaborate beyond promotions: Invite them to brainstorm product features, test prototypes, or co-host events. When Glossier develops new products, they often send early samples to influencers for feedback, making creators feel like valued contributors to the brand’s growth.

4— Don’t expect immediate sales results from influencer partnerships

Influencers aren’t magic sales buttons—they’re storytellers who help audiences discover and trust your brand. When you demand instant ROI from influencers, you ignore the organic process of building credibility, which is the foundation of their influence.

Followers also need time to see the product in action, read reviews, or hear the influencer mention it repeatedly in an authentic context. If you pressure creators to prioritize sales over storytelling, they’re forced to make content that feels pushy or desperate.

What to do instead:

Shift your focus to metrics that reflect relationship-building, not just revenue. For example:

• Track engagement: High comments, saves, or shares mean the audience is interested, even if they’re not buying yet.
• Collect UGC: User-generated content shows growing brand affinity.
• Use affiliate links: These let you measure interest over time, rather than expecting a single post to convert.

5— Don’t delay payments

Late payments signal disrespect. Influencers are freelancers—delayed paychecks disrupt their cash flow and create stress. It’s like asking a contractor to renovate your kitchen but refusing to pay until you’ve hosted three dinner parties there.

How this harms the relationship:

Trust erodes fast when payments are inconsistent. Influencers may prioritize brands that pay reliably, deprioritizing your projects or delivering rushed work. In extreme cases, they’ll publicly call out payment delays, damaging your brand’s reputation.

What to do instead:

Agree on payment terms upfront (e.g., “50 upfront, 50% on delivery”) and stick to them.

Use tools like SARAL to automate commission payouts. It'll eliminate the need for manual bookkeeping, external transactions, and yet another spreadsheet to manage.

6— Don't rush content creation

When you send a product to your influencers, there’s a natural urge to ask the influencer for a post ASAP. After all, you’re excited to see results! But pressuring creators to rush content backfires.

It pressures them to prioritize speed over quality, making them feel like a content machine rather than a valued partner. Over time, this erodes their motivation to advocate passionately for your brand.

Worse, if they post half-hearted reviews just to meet your timeline, their audience will question their authenticity—damaging their reputation and yours.

What to do instead:

• Set realistic timelines upfront: When seeding products, say, “Try this for a few weeks, and share your thoughts when you’re ready.” A skincare brand might give 3-4 weeks for testing, while a fitness app could need a month for tangible results.
• Ask, don’t demand: Follow up with curiosity, not pressure. For example: “How’s the product working for you? Any feedback?” This invites dialogue, not obligation.
• Respect delays: If an influencer hasn’t posted, there’s often a reason. Maybe the product didn’t work for them, or they’re waiting for the right moment to share. Be curious about the delay rather than demanding for immediate posts.

Automate the grind. Keep the human touch.

Everything we’ve covered—building genuine connections, designing incentive programs, avoiding ghosting—sounds great on paper. But when you’re a DTC founder juggling product launches, supply chains, and a dozen other priorities, actually executing this feels like trying to knit a sweater while riding a rollercoaster.

And that's why we created SARAL.

It's an all-in-one influencer marketing tool that helps DTC brands automate the grind so they can focus on the human work: listening to creators, co-creating campaigns, and nurturing communities.

Here are just some of things that you can do with SARAL:

• Automate influencer discovery and outreach – Find creators in bulk, send personalized emails, and track responses.
• Ship products seamlessly – Manage gifting campaigns without juggling spreadsheets.
• Track affiliate sales & commissions – Automate payouts and monitor ROI in real-time.
• Build ambassador programs – Turn one-off collaborators into long-term brand advocates.
• Manage contracts & usage rights – Pre-built templates for clear agreements, e-signatures, and compliance.
• Replace 5+ tools – All workflows (discovery, outreach, payments, tracking) in one platform.

Why brands love SARAL:

• 5.12x average ROAS – Proven results with flexible campaigns.
• Trusted by 100+ DTC brands – From startups to scaling teams.
• Zero manual busywork – Focus on relationships, not logistics.

It's a tool that is loved by operators who hate spreadsheets:

“SARAL organizes all the moving pieces of our program. Massive time saver.” – Zach Grove, Director of Marketing, Aura

👉 Get a demo to see how SARAL handles the busywork while you focus on relationships that actually grow your brand.

‍